This a personal entry. I've been thinking more intently on life in general. Since I've been working on some guides on goals and productivity, I've been thinking on what I want. Life is getting shorter and there's so much that I want to do.
And that's not just professionally or personally, but in all areas of my life. In general, this is a high-level brain dump for me. I'll list out the where I was, where I am, and where I want to be on both professionally and personally.
Professionally
Where I was
Previous work experience in:
ERP systems
E-commerce
Accomplishments at my current position
Within 6 months I designed, created and maintained an e-commerce store from scratch while also being new in the industry.
Since then have doubled sales year over year. Year 3 is also forecasted to double sales.
Where I am
I currently work at an industrial hose company where I do the marketing digital and print, maintain online orders, and 2 e-commerce websites.
I don't want to continue to do the same thing that I am doing. As of right now, I am positioning myself to be in a strategic position within the scope of marketing.
I have also been working on a additional sources of revenue. I use to do a lot of contract work, but haven't in the last few years.
Where I want to be
I want to be somewhere where I can go. At the time when I firs started to write this at the beginning of June 2022, he company that I worked for was bought. Before that, I was somewhat stagnant in position and such. After the buyout, it opened the possibilities of opening more doors.
I definitely don't want to be stuck doing the same things that I have been. I want more growth.
Plan your next 5 years, make it happen in the next 6 months.
Anonymous
I’m not sure where I saw this, and not exactly sure how capable the quote is.
I do know that 6 months is a good amount of time make things happen in any area of life. Thinking about 5 years ahead and breaking it down to six months increments is a good way to process the years.
Personally
Where I was
On a personal level, there were several years that everyday was the definition of insanity. There had to be a stop to it and entrusting people. I had to come to terms that someone who was suppose to be a life partner no longer was (and this was during). I had to realize that said person didn't care anymore and did not want to be held accountable.
Well, that all ended and just had to keep moving forward. During and after a divorce, you have your emotions, loneliness, rollercoaster type of ride life for a while.
It wasn't so much that I had to "find me" again, but more of how to I get back to the "real me". If that doesn't make sense.
I once had a friend tell me during the start of my divorce that I needed to "find out who I am". My response was "I know who I am". If I remember correctly, she said that's not what I mean. I get what she means, but we weren't exactly on the same page.
Where I am
I'm better off financially that I was.
I'm more outgoing than I was,
I don't feel as lonely anymore.
I am active doing the things that I love to do.
I'm more adventurous than before. I never would have thought I would have gone skydiving, not once now, but several times!
Where I want to be
I want to be able to go to more places.
I want to experience more things - locally and abroad.
I want my home and environment to be better.
Most of my energy right now is going toward the professional goals in this post. If you are looking for someone with this kind of self-awareness and track record, take a look at the portfolio.
An existing ecommerce site built on the Big Commerce platform, but vital business functions could not be setup.
The decision was made to scrap it and start over on WooCommerce, where I could build it the right way from the ground up.
The new site went live mid-June 2019.
Screenshots were taken May 2022 and reflect a point-in-time snapshot of SEO performance.
The next screenshot is a view of 5 years.
The small charts across the top are month comparing the previous month.
This is screenshot of the current SEO competition landscape as of May 2022.
Interpretation
The supplier's website consistently ranks higher than everyone else in the landscape, and that's expected. Distributors go through a selection process and are referred back to the supplier's site, so the domain authority and traffic signals are working in their favor by design.
SEO Strategy
I built this out in layers. On-page first, then product visibility, then local.
This is one of several projects in my portfolio, spanning eCommerce, marketing operations, and brand work.
On-page I started with the foundation: image tags, page text, headers, site structure, and the metadata that visitors never see but search engines read closely. From there I audited our product descriptions against the competition and established a consistent standard across the catalog. I also added resources directly to the site: sales sheets and manufacturer catalogs, giving customers and search engines more to work with.
Off-page Off-page SEO is harder to control, and for our industry, tactics like PR and link outreach weren't worth the time or the spend. I focused on what I could actually influence. Google Merchant Center gets lumped into "product feeds" but I look at it differently: if someone searches for one of our products and it shows up in Shopping results and organic rankings, that's SEO working. The feed is just the mechanism.
Local After a competitive analysis of the surrounding areas, I updated all three Google Business Profiles: adding product categories with direct links back to the site. I tightened up the three location pages on the website and updated the social media profiles for each location.
These screenshots are a snapshot from May 2022, not the finish line. The work was ongoing, and the rankings reflect a strategy that was still building. This was also during the COVID era: companies in our space either adapted their digital presence or lost ground. One data point worth noting: around this time, one of the competitors in that landscape was actively hiring for marketing positions.
We launched our kayaks at Appalachian Outfitters in Dahlonega, GA for a six mile section of the river. I have a sit-on kayak and Chuck has a sit-in kayak. (He had gone a few weekends before me with some other friends. Even earlier we made a weekend trip to the Blue Springs in Marianna, Florida.) There were a few on paddle boards and other kayakers that were there to fish.
Our trip on the water was about a 2 1/2 hour trip. The waters weren't bad and it's a good one for beginner kayakers. Just like anywhere else, you can tip over but the water is not deep as you can stand in most places.
Big Bend Beach is roughly at the halfway point and is a good spot to grab a bite. We didn’t stop, but there were some fellow river rats sunning and having lunch. Towards the end are the three rapids, YeeHaw, Bass in the Boat, and Last But Not Least.
The takeout is after the last rapids on the left. There’s a concrete area with steps to take yourself and gear back to your vehicle or shuttle if you used an outfitter.
Canoe, Kayak and Tubing Trips Down the Chestatee River near Dahlonega
The Chestatee River is about a 2 hour drive from Atlanta, GA and having an enjoyable time can be a good day trip or a weekend getaway in the mountains of North Georgia.
There are several outfitters that you can use to go down the Chestatee River. But you don't have to use these outfitters if you have your own.
Chestatee River Adventures
The Chestatee River Adventures offers single and tandem kayak rentals and tube trips for rent. You can make your reservation online on their website, www.chestateeriveradventures.com
Appalachian Outfitters
Appalachian Outfitters is located nearby and they have tube, kayak, and canoe rentals for your river adventure. Book online with them at www.canoegeorgia.com.
The Chestatee is a solid day trip or weekend getaway from Atlanta. Easy enough for beginners, scenic, and worth the drive.
Between river days I work in eCommerce marketing and SEO. If your business needs someone who knows how to build strategy from scratch and actually execute it, here is a look at the work.
First weekend of May, also the weekend of Mother's Day, I ventured to Blue Springs in Marianna, Florida with some other kayakers. I did not take my dog, Sam with me this time.
I did however took my mom on an adventure for the weekend.
In all of her worldly travels out camping with her international troop, this is something that she had never done before. My mom doesn't even know how to swim, but after a bit of convincing she was ready to come along.
As you can see, someone had a great time relaxing on the water.
On the way to Burgess Falls, TN, I decided to take a detour since I had some time. There were so many waterfalls to see and the trails to see them were very short. All of them were under 0.75 of a mile.
The names of the waterfalls that I saw are escaping me right now, but I have some nice photos of them.
Cathy Gray is an eCommerce and digital marketing specialist based in Atlanta, GA, with nearly a decade of experience helping B2B businesses sell more online. Outside of work she's chasing waterfalls, kayaking rivers, and finding dark skies to camp under. Her dog Sam is officially retired from adventures but still supervises from the couch. None of it happens without coffee.
